Five Hundred Miles
by Aria-wolfstar
Summary: “I have to leave for a little while, sir,” she said, tears streaming out of her eyes and down her cheeks. “But…why?” he asked “I’d rather not talk about it,” she said, whirling around and striding back out into the hallway in a flurry of tears, leaving Ja


Hehe, here it is ! XD. Remember, not all is what it seems…keep that in mind. Oh yea, this took longer to get up casue I had my friend check it for me! Disclaimer: Don't own 500 Miles or Stargate

XxX

500 Miles

XxX

Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter walked out of her lab, swiping a tear away from her cheek to no avail, for, a few seconds later, more spilled down her satiny skin. She sniffled, wiping her eyes as she strode down the hallway, disregarding the curious looks of her colleagues as they noticed the tear stains on the hardened Major's cheeks. She plainly ignored the few that stopped what they were doing to watch her pass as she trekked down the hallway.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sam finally stood in front of the door, gazing at the golden panel attached to it that read, _"General Jack O'Neill."_ She didn't know for how long she stared at it. Taking a shuddering breath, she forced her tears under control, using her sleeve to wipe the salty liquid away. Reaching her hand slowly, she rapped on the door three times.

"Enter," the gruff voice from inside made Sam cringe. She let her hand fall to the knob and twisted it open gently, pushing the door open in the most antagonizingly slow manner. She stepped inside softy, leaving the door open a crack.

Jack looked up from his desk, eyes heated and ready for an argument with whoever stood in front of him. However, his eyes softened immediately when he noticed it was Sam standing in front of him. He straightened his papers and set them down softly on his desk before addressing her. "Carter," he said briskly, in his friendly manner of greeting.

"Sir," she whispered softly, her heart not into her normal snappy response.

When the woman standing in front of him failed to say anything else, he eyed her up and down, his brown orbs searching for the reason for Carter's silence. When they landed on the tear stained cheeks, he fought to keep his voice steady. "Everything alright?"

Sam shook her head from side to side, tears welling up in her eyes again. Jack pushed back the chair and stood up, ready to walk around the desk to embrace her when she spoke. "I have to leave for a little while, sir," she said, tears streaming out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

His mouth worked a few times before he could respond. "Of course," he said, breathless. "But…why?" he asked, his voice straining, giving away his obvious discomfort. Jack walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

But Sam pried herself out of his grip. "I'd rather not talk about it," she said, whirling around and striding back out into the hallway in a flurry of tears, leaving Jack stunned speechless. Did this have anything to do with their recent brawl?

XxX

Sam had managed to stop the tears from down her face and was now down to sniffles as she hurriedly jammed the few things she would need from her office into a bag. She looked up from the bag, startled, when she heard a rapping sound from the door.

"Daniel," she murmured before turning back to her packing, doing a mental inventory of the items she had. She looked back up over her shoulder really fast, "Come in."

Daniel stepped in solemnly, tucking his hands into his pocket as he observed Sam's frantic bustle of throwing items into a bag. "Sam…" he began softly.

The muscle in Sam's jaw clenched as she fought back the tears, knowing the tone of voice well enough to realize the next words out of his mouth would be, "What's wrong, Sam?". "I don't want to talk about it, Daniel," she said through clenched teeth. It would only bring more pain and tears, knocking down an image she had created after all her years in the airforce.

Sighing, Daniel complied, knowing his friend's stubborn ways wouldn't let him get anywhere. Rubbing his hands through his hair, he shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Is there anything at least that I can do?" he asked quietly.

Her back stiffened at his words as they sunk in. Standing up slowly, she gave her friend a sidelong gaze, looking him in the eye. "Actually… there is," she said slowly.

The relief on Daniel's face was apparent. "Anything," he said, raising his eyebrows and locking Sam's gaze, telling her the truthfulness of his words with his eyes. "What do you need?"

"A ride," Sam said, chewing on her lower lip, "I'm going to have to go home to pack a few clothes, but I'm going to need a ride to the train station."

Daniel's eyes widened as the request sunk in. _Train station?_ Where could she be _going_? When the unspoken question showed on his face, Sam continued. "I'm going down by train, coming back by plane," she said, turning to her things to zip her bag shut. She slung it over her shoulders.

"So you're coming back then?" Daniel asked carefully.

Shock played across Sam's face; did Daniel really think she was leaving permanently? "Of course," she said softly. She chuckled quietly. "You thought I wouldn't?" she asked, knitting her eyebrows together.

Daniel raised his shoulders in a sheepish shrug. "Where are you going exactly?" Though, by the way her face tensed suddenly, the grin slipping from it in a split second gave him more than enough reason drop the subject. Flustered, Daniel gestured to the door. "Shall I follow you home then?"

XxX

Sam mentally checked her list one last time before heaving a sigh and closing the door with a click behind her. She hopped down the stairs lightly and strode out to the car, opening the door and sliding in the back seat behind Daniel and Teal'c.

Twisting around in his seat, straining the seat belt, Daniel looked Sam over carefully. "Ready to go?" he asked. Sam nodded, silently holding the train ticket up in front of his eyes. "Ah…right," Daniel murmured, twisting back in his seat to grasp the steering wheel. Exchanging a quick glance with Teal'c, he put his foot to the pedal and drove away from Sam's house slowly.

The ride to the train station was fast and done in silence, the only noise being the quiet sound of the music drifting from the radio and Sam's fingers tapping on her suitcase. When they arrived at the station, Sam climbed out of the car slowly, flipping her wrist up to check her watch. She sighed. The train wasn't leaving for another fifty minutes yet. When she looked up, she found herself gazing at the curious, hopefully stare of her friends. Smiling slightly, she figured, may as well wait with company…

XxX

Jack growled in frustration as his eyes searched over the mess in Daniel's room, looking for something that the archeologist could be hiding behind. Turning on heel, he did his best not to stomp out of the room as he roamed down the halls. It seemed as though Daniel had just _disappeared_. He hoped, sarcastically, that he hadn't ascended again. Thrusting the door to Teal'c's room without a knock, Jack threw up his hands when he saw no sign of the Jaffa. Now this was getting frustrating.

Digging into his pocket, the General pulled out his cell phone and gazed at it for a minute before punching in the familiar numbers of the phone he was dialing, tapping his foot impatiently as he heard the phone ringing.

XxX

Daniel stopped mid-sentence in the conversation he was having with Sam and Teal'c, shifted his eyes to the side slightly, sucked in his lips and held up his finger, reaching into his pocket to yank out his phone. He sighed when he saw the name on the display. "One moment," he muttered.

Expertly flipping the phone open, he placed it on his ear. "Jack?" he drawled, hoping his friend would understand the annoyance in his voice. He didn't notice Sam's reaction as she looked down at the ground, scuffing her foot once on the pavement.

No such luck. Grimacing, he had to hold the phone away from his ear slightly as Jack practically yelled, "Daniel…_where are you_?" into the phone. "And where are Teal'c and Carter?"

"We're at the train station, Jack," Daniel said, shifting his eyes to look at Sam. She hadn't told him? "Waiting for Sam's train to leave."

Silence met him on the other side of the phone. He couldn't see the hurt expression on Jacks face. He couldn't see the slackness that worked its way into his shoulders. He couldn't see him hang his head and drop his arm for a moment. All he heard was silence. "Jack?" Daniel inquired, probing for a reaction from the General. "You there?"

"When does she leave?" Jack asked, and Daniel couldn't help but notice the change in his friends voice. The anger had sapped out of it, and it was replaced by sorrow. He couldn't help but pity his friend. Biting his lip, he walked away from the other two before answering softly into the phone.

"Thirty-five minutes," he said quietly. Licking his lips, Daniel continued. "Jack, do you know why…" he was cut off by a click. Sighing, he hung his head before closing the phone. Sometimes the man couldn't learn. Putting the phone back into his pocket, he walked back over to Teal'c and Sam and continued the conversation as though nothing had happened…

XxX

General O'Neill pushed the gas pedal to the floor, straining the car's speed as fast he could without getting pulled over. He couldn't afford that now. His jaw was set as he gazed out onto the open road ahead of him, zipping along it like a second-nature.

_Why was she leaving now?_ He thought as he drove. It couldn't have to do with their quarrel, could it have? He'd been in a bad mood about something – God, he couldn't even remember what! He pounded the steering wheel once with his fist – and she had been the first outlet of his built up wrath….

_General Jack O'Neill sat at his desk, glaring at a mound of paperwork stacked as high as the tower of pancakes on Pancake Wonder Night at Al's Pancake World (and those stacks came in a pretty decent height too!) with a headache that felt like it had been induced by an elephant sitting on his brain. Taking a sheet of paper from the top of the gigantic stack, he gazed over it carefully and sighed, scribbling a note on it with his pen before placing it on a stack on the other side of him, already twice the size of the original stack. At least he was making progress. A snort from the door caused him to look up._

"_If you didn't wait until the end of the month, sir, you might not have this problem," Sam said, doing her best to fight the smile that was playing across her lips. _

_O'Neill's eyes formed slits as he glared at her from over the mound. "I don't need lip right now, _Colonel_ Carter_," _he growled, yanking another sheet from the top of his stack. "And where's the salute, Carter?"_

_Sam's eyes narrowed and her jaw tightened. As friends, the salute part of their air-force relationship was very rare, and only when protocol said it was necessary. Carter brought her feet together, squared off her shoulders and brought her hand stiffly to her eyebrow. "Sorry, sir, General O'Neill, sir," she snapped, her voice dripping venomously with distaste. _

_A smirk twitched quickly across Jack's lips. "Better," he murmured. Scribbling something on the sheet of paper, he gave an absent minded, sloppy salute without even looking up. "What's your business, Carter?" he asked, looking up at her sparingly, giving her a moment before he grabbed the next piece of paper._

_  
"I'd like to take tomorrow off, sir," she said, her eyes focused straight ahead, her posture still stiff, a perfect airman._

_Jack sighed and rubbed his temple. "May I ask why, Carter?" he demanded more than asked._

"_Pete's in town, sir," she said, dropping her gaze to match his eyes. "I'd like to spend the day with him."_

_O'Neill could have sworn he felt smoke roll out of his ears. He certainly felt his heart clench. "No can do, Carter," he said casually, pulling another paper off the stack. "We need you here."_

_Sam pursed her lips together before answering. "Sir, I haven't had down-time for a while…I think I deserve…"_

_Jack's eyes snapped right back up to hers. "I said no, Carter," he said sternly._

_Sam's own eyes narrowed. "That's not fair, sir," she said, knowing full well that he knew that too. "And you know it."_

"_Carter," Jack growled warningly. "You're out of line."_

_Throwing her hands up into the air, Sam snorted. "I cant talk to you when you're like this," she said roughly, spinning around to walk out the door._

"_Airman!" Jack yelled at her retreating figure, slamming his fists down on his desk as he stood up, leaning on his palms. She turned stiffly to face him. "That's sir to you," he said, locking her gaze._

_If looks could kill, Jack would be dead on the floor in a heartbeat. She waited for a moment, only snapping a salute when O'Neill opened his mouth. "Sir," she said, holding her position. Smiling smugly, Jack sat back down. _

_  
"Dismissed," he said, scribbling something on the paper in front of him and moving it to the other stack, noticing that his headache now felt like he had just stood in the way of a C4 blast and survived…_

O'Neill glowered at the memory. That had been less than a week ago and he hadn't talked to Sam since (not including the recent time in his office.). Snorting, he was surprised she hadn't commented on his now willingness to allow her to take time off…but then again, she had been in tears.

Pulling the car into a parking spot, he threw the door open and ran to the station…

XxX

Sam wrapped her arms around Daniel. "See you soon," she murmured. He nodded into her shoulder and patted her back lightly before letting her go.

"Keep in touch," he said softly. Sam nodded quietly and turned to Teal'c, embracing him as well.

"Don't loose any sleep over me," she said, smiling at Teal'c despondently. He smiled lightly in response to her feeble attempt at a joke.

"Stay well, Colonel Carter," Teal'c said with an inclination of his head.

Sam nodded, a sad smile set on her delicate face. "I will," she said softly. Hoisting her bag onto her back, she picked up her suitcase and walked slowly towards the train. She knew her face radiated disappointment from the pitying look the ticket-taker gave her when she boarded the train. What he expect? She had thought that O'Neill would have at least found a way to show up and bid her farewell…

_If you miss the train I'm on, you will know that I am gone_

You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles 

Sam glanced out of the window solemnly, watching her two friends as they stared back at her. She looked down at her lap for a moment before flicking her head and gazing back out the window. A warm, liquidy feeling trailed down her cheek, and, a moment later, Sam realized it was her tears. Maybe she should have told them why she was leaving….

_A hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles,_

_You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles._

She blinked the tears away, clearing her vision from the blur that had clouded over it. When she looked back out the window, she saw a third figure standing with Daniel and Teal'c, resting his hands on his knees as he leaned over, violently struggling for breath. She saw Daniel look frantically at her window, then at his watch. The trains whistle blew, signaling the trains departure and the figures head snapped up.

_Lord I'm one, Lord I'm two, Lord I'm three, Lord I'm four,_

_Lord I'm 500 miles from my home._

Sam's breath caught in her throat and she pressed her face against the glass._ It was Jack! _She saw Daniel point frantically to her window and saw Jack's eyes searching for her, locking on her just as the train began moving. He yelled something as the train began moving.

_500 miles, 500 miles, 500 miles, 500 miles_

_Lord I'm five hundred miles from my home._

Sam yanked her window down, pressing her head up to the crack that it created. O'Neill was running now, right towards the window she was sitting at. She felt the train lurch forward. A tear trailed down her cheek.

_Not a shirt on my back, not a penny to my name_

_Lord I can't go a-home this a-way_

Jack was cursing mentally, he was too late! He picked up speed to match the trains, stretching his arm out when he got under her window. "Sam!" he yelled, but she couldn't hear him over the noise of the train.

_This a-away, this a-way, this a-way, this a-way,_

_Lord I can't go a-home this a-way._

The train picked up speed again, leaving O'Neill on the platform behind. Sam watched his figure slump when she was out of his reach. As the train turned around the bend, she missed him fall to his knees and burrow his head into his hands.

_If you miss the train I'm on you will know that I am gone_

_You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles._

A frown worked its way into Sam's face as she leaned her head back into the seat, willing herself not to cry. But it was hard, she thought as her jaw clenched. She didn't even get to tell him goodbye, but she'd see him soon. Though, he didn't have a clue where he was going or for how long, and from the look on his face, he thought it was his fault.

A breeze wafted through the open window, tickling Sam's forehead as it whipped her hair around gently, and she thought she heard someone calling her name…

XxX

Two Weeks Later – At the SGC 

Jack stared moodily at the plain mahogany wood of his desk, glowering as he thought of Sam. There was still no contact from her. Rolling his wrist over, he looked at his watch and grunted. _Twelve fifteen._ Time to go get Daniel and Teal'c for lunch (after the second week had begun and his mood had remained dark, they had finally, with the threat of a zat as enforcement, coaxed him into getting out of the base for an hour or so.)

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walked down the hallway stiffly, ignoring those who jumped out of his way. It seemed that the base had learned quickly when and when not to salute or regard the General. He snorted. Smart people.

As he approached Daniel's office, the archeologists voice floated down the hallway. "…pregnant. She's unbelievably happy," he was babbling, presumably to Teal'c. Jack's ears pricked up. "Jack's going to be _ecstatic_."

O'Neill's face slackened. Sam was pregnant? That was…impossible! Absurd! They hadn't even been…together! Jack's mind raged, fumbling around for an explanation and locking on a recent event where both he and Carter had been under the influence of alien technology. Neither of them had remembered their actions…

Numbly, he walked into Daniel's office. The chipper archeologist greeted him warmly. "Hey Jack," he said, holding a card out to him. "Postcard from Sam."

Still numb, Jack snatched the card from Daniel and flipped it over to the back, looking at the return address at the top, not even bothering to read the message. Drilling the memory into his mind, he put the postcard down on the desk and, turning on heel, walked out of the room.

"Jack," Daniel's voice drawled after him. "Where are you going?" he could hear the screech of chairs as the two men got up to follow him.

"O'Neill, do we not have plans for lunch?" Teal'c inquired behind him, confused.

Jack waved a hand over his back. "Some other time," he said as he strode down the hallway and into the elevator, the doors closing before either could get to him.

XxX

Mark Carter eyed up the man standing at the door carefully before turning his head over his shoulder. "Sam!" he called. "You have a guest!" Turning back to the man at the door, he held his finger up. "You stay here," he said, eyeing him up again before shaking his head and walking away.

In the living room, not to far down the hall, Sam shifted the protesting girl off of her lap and onto the couch next to her. She patted her head softly. "I'll be right back," she murmured. The boy at the table in front of her gave her a wide-eyed, pleading stare and she smiled at him softly and reassuringly. "Don't worry," she said, and he nodded at her. She could feel both their eyes on her back as she walked down the hallway, wondering, who could be visiting her and why?

As she rounded the corner in the hallway to gaze upon the back of the person standing in the door, her breath caught in her chest. "Sir," she breathed, walking to the door lightly.

Jack spun at the sound of her voice, capturing serene blue eyes with his own chocolate ones. Sam felt her heart flutter in her chest. They stood there for what seemed like hours, though in reality the time span was only a matter of seconds, before O'Neill took the two strides into the house. He slipped his arms around Sam's waist, snaking up her back and pulling her close. After a moment, he pushed her away slightly and she looked up curiously into his eyes. His own heart thudded with emotion, and he leaned down and encompassed her lips in his own. For a moment, he felt her resist, but then it was gone as she melted into his kiss.

They were interrupted by two small voices chorusing, "Ooooh!"

Sam unraveled herself with a blush, looking over her shoulder at the two children who were standing in the hallway, wondering when she was coming back. She waved her hand towards the living-room. "I'll be there in a minute," she murmured.

But the kids weren't to be swayed. The young girl pointed her finger at Jack. "Who's that?" she asked, blinking her eyes at the General. Saving an explanation, Mark swooped in as if on cue and taking the hands of the small children, smiling back at Sam, murmuring something to the kids as he led them away.

Sam turned back to find the curious gaze of O'Neill. He placed his hands on her shoulders softly. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" he asked softly.

Her eyes widened and she huffed in surprise. "I am?" she asked, tilting her head sideways. "Since when, sir?"

Jack's hands dropped off of her shoulders. "You aren't? But I heard Daniel say…"

Sam narrowed her eyes in thought. Daniel never would have told Jack anything of that sort. As she sifted through possibilities she laughed. "Did you hear him tell someone that Sarah's pregnant?" At the confused look she received, she continued. "Osiris?" the name of the Go'auld who had infested the female archeologist rang a bell in Jack's head. At his nod, Sam went on. "Daniel set her up with a friend of his, coincedentally named Jack. She recently found out…"

Jack looked down at the ground, attempting to hide the redness that had risen in his cheeks. Wishing to skip the embarrassment, he changed the subject quickly. "Why'd you leave then?" he asked softly, looking up to Sam's eyes.

The scientist dropped her gaze and took a breath. "Mark's wife died," she whispered softly, "Car accident." She forced back the salty liquid that rose in her eyes. Sam bit her lower lip before continuing. "It just hit… so close to home, you know?" she asked, looking up into Jack's eyes, working hard to keep the barrier of tears from overflowing.

Jack looked over her sorrowfully. "You could have told us," he said softly. When she shook her head and sniffled, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. She burrowed her head into his shoulder.

It was minutes before they broke apart. When they did, Sam looked up to Jack, allowing him to wipe a tear from her eye with his thumb. "Sir?" she asked quietly as realization hit her.

"Yeah, Carter?"

"Did you _drive_ here?" She asked, peeking out into the driveway. When Jack nodded, she raised her eyebrows.

"_All_ five-hundred miles?" Again, a nod.

She laughed softly, pulling Jack into the house and taking him towards the kitchen. "Why, sir?"

Jack shrugged sheepishly, finally giving in as Carter's gaze burrowed into him. "I thought it was my fault."

Sam snorted a laugh. "Your fault, sir? A little vain, aren't you?"

In actuality, Sam had forgotten about the fight, having blown off steam with a long ride on her motorcycle after words, knowing the General well enough to realize that he had been in a horrible mood when she had last conversed with him. The embarrassment on the General's face after the conversation was enough to keep Sam chuckling throughout the night…

XxX

The end

XxX

Grant it, not my best ending of fics….a little awkward. I dug myself in a hole. Still, let me know what you thought, I'll take flames! For those of you who read "Rose Petals" or "Secrets in the Snow" Or even "Domino Effect" and "Your Love Amazes Me" how did this compare? I need feedback to improve!

Till Next Time!  
–Aria

(P.S. I'm going to start working on the next fic soon, for those of you who know what I'm talking about…)


End file.
